Current fluorescent and neon lights are easily broken, and when broken, the entire light will not function. These lights also suffer from the disadvantage that it is relatively difficult to form the lights in irregular shapes. It is also difficult to achieve large areas of planar light. The lights are cumbersome and heavy, and relatively high-cost to fabricate. There is a need for lighting which is durable, has high efficiency and long life, is light-weight, and can be produced at a reasonable cost.
Several consumer, commercial and industrial markets desire curved and flat light panels that are energy efficient, lightweight, rugged, long-lived, and survivable. The automobile industry, for example, has a need for improved brake, turn-signal and back-up lights that can be fashioned more flexibly than current incandescent technology will permit. Also, decorative and panel lighting requires more stylistically-shaped lighting systems than is possible with the bulky and inflexible framework of fluorescent technology. It is also desirable in some uses, such as defense, outdoor, and safety uses, that the light be able to function even after a damaging impact.